This invention relates to an automated feed assembly for a manually operated pack seal tester and more particularly relates to an apparatus for automatically feeding packs of cigarettes to a manual pack seal tester which provides for the stacking of a plurality of cigarette packages and advancing the packages to a measuring head of a pack seal tester.
In the manufacturing of a number of products and particularly packages of cigarettes, the packages are wrapped with a transparent film, such as polyethylene or the like. Since the wrapping of these packages occurs at high rates of speed, it is imperative that a close watch be made of products leaving these wrapping machines to see that the wrapped packages conform to preselected specifications. In order to maintain the quality control of these wrapped packages, from time to time operators grab packages for sample testing to determine if the packages have been wrapped to these specific specifications. These grabbed sample packages are taken by the operator and manually placed on the head of a pack seal tester wherein the pack seal tester is provided with a vacuum cup with a vertically movable pin inside the cup which penetrates and breaks the transparent film. A vacuum is then pulled on the package to a preselected psi and if the pack will not withstand a certain pressure, the wrapping machine must be shut down and appropriate adjustments made so that the plastic transparent films will provide for an adequate wrap of the package.